Electric Cars for Earth Month: Spotlight on Electric Vehicles for 2015With the arrival of Earth Month, it's time to tally up the number of electric cars sold since President Obama vowed the United States would “become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.”Read the Full Story

TrueSavings March 18 to 31, 2015 — 10 Best Deals for MarchYou don't have to be Irish to get lucky with your next new car. If you're shopping for a new car, TrueCar has analyzed all the available incentives and has selected these ten vehicles as the very best deals available from the manufacturer's new-car-buying incentives during the remainder of March.Read the Full Story

Top 15 New Car Lease, Cash, and Financing Incentives for March 2015If you're shopping for a new car in March, TrueCar can help you save some green, thanks to these enticing lease programs, attractive financing rates, and cash-back incentives worth thousands of dollars off of a wide range of vehicles.Read the Full Story

TrueSavings March 4 – 17, 2015: Top Discounts for MinivansWhen it comes to providing flexible space for people and their possessions, nothing beats a minivan. Read the Full Story

Spotlight on Technology: Luxury Features for a Comfortable Drive If you’re a person who spends a lot of time in your car, you definitely want to be pampered while you’re in the driver’s seat. Read the Full Story

Safety Features for your Automotive Wish ListToday's new cars offer great technology: They're more comfortable and more entertaining than ever before, with convenience features that help us be more efficient while we're on the road. Read the Full Story

Tax-Time Windfall? Why Not Use Your Tax Refund To Buy or Lease a New Car?

Monday, 16 April 2012 06:00Written by Brandy Schaffels

So your trip to the accountant turned out great, and you're expecting a refund from Uncle Sam? According to CNN Money, the average tax refund in 2011 was $2913, down slightly from $3,003 the year before. Three thousand dollars is a pretty good chunk of change -- but no matter what the amount is, if you've got a tax refund coming, we're pretty sure you're already thinking about how to spend it.

If you're in the marketplace for a new car, your taxtime windfall can be combined with manufacturer lease and finance deals already available in the month of April to further reduce your monthly payment. It's easy to see how the savings add up, and regardless of whether you choose to lease or finance your next new car, we’re helping you do the math.

If you choose to lease, check out the leasing options below that already feature down payments from $0 to $2799. Essentially, you can walk into a dealership, apply your $3000 tax refund to the down payment, and get into a lease deal with no cash out of pocket. And, on some of these deals, you can even see immediate savings in the monthly payment from $28 (for the $1,999 lease deals) to as much as a $125 monthly savings on the offers with a $0 down payment lease deal.

Generally speaking, we don't encourage putting large amounts of cash ($5000 or more) down on a lease, but for these deals, your tax refund can be just the amount of money you need to get into the car you want to drive. And in the case of the Chevy Volt, if your commute keeps you within its all-electric cruising range, you may even end up making the lease payment instead of buying gas.

If you decide to purchase, check out these finance deals, which offer a variety of annual percentage rates from 0 to 1.9 percent from 48 to 60 months which add up to immediate monthly savings ranging from 51 to 65 dollars off the payment without the tax refund.

*Average price paid is the estimated average transaction price of a vehicle after incentives within the last 30 days prior to 4/9/12 and are subject to change. **Monthly payments are calculated without including sales tax, or any tax or licensing fees.

Ready to go New Car Shopping With Your Tax Refund?

Keep in mind, this is not the full list of incentives available right now: we picked the best of the lease and finance offers available on some of the most popular vehicles and made sure to represent a variety of segments. We recommend you check the individual manufacturer websites for the car brand you are interested in purchasing to see their full list of leasing offers, and to verify that the incentive is offered in your region, as sometimes these offers may vary from region to region.

Car buyers should remember that there is room for negotiation on most new cars, so be sure to do your research onTrueCar.com. You will be able to see what other are paying for the car you want in your local area and connect with Program Certified Dealers.